Just a month ago, the Giants transformed their season by playing their starters in the regular season finale against the Patriots with nothing on the line but the purity of competition for the Giants and a perfect regular season for the Patriots. It was a thrilling, confidence-building game for the Giants, even though they lost. Now, the Giants get a second shot at ending the perfect season, but this time they have everything on the line.

With five minutes remaining in the third quarter, the Giants held a 12-point lead in that game and they had followed closely the design that other teams had used to put a scare in the Patriots. Belichick is usually effective at dissecting a team the second-time around, but when he looks at the Giants, he'll see a team that is running well, has gotten stellar play from quarterback Eli Manning and can pressure quarterbacks when it needs to.

Tom Brady was pressured and had one of his worst games against the Chargers in the A.F.C. Championship game. On paper, this reads like a tough matchup for the Patriots. Still, they will be heavy favorites in Super Bowl XLII to finish the first undefeated season in 35 years. Throughout the season, they have faced increasing levels of competition — and pressure — and that has drawn out a resourcefulness they didn't need when their offense was pounding their opponents into submission. Against the Chargers, the Patriots' defense was especially tough in the red zone, a sore spot for part of the season, and the running game bailed out a stagnant offense. Just when you think you've found the flaws in the Patriots, they patch them up. The Giants may feel that way when Super Bowl XLII is over. JUDY BATTISTA